Living a life of purpose is a key essential ingredient of for happiness. So many people all over the World are realizing they can’t just work some dead end, unfulfilling job that doesn’t nourish the soul.

We are also realizing we perform our best when we are doing something we like and are naturally good at. That’s where your life-purpose begins! It feels good to make a contribution and to feel as though you are doing your small personal part to make the World a better place.

Imagine a World where everyone is living their life-purpose – doing what they love. How quickly could things change for the betters?

So here’s a start, 10 Ways to Discover Your Life Purpose:

1) Consider Your Highest-Excitement

So often we can get stuck in the motions of life without stopping to consider what truly fulfills us, makes us happy and excites us to our very core. Take a moment to consider and then to write down all of the things in life inspiring to you and don’t worry about how it relates to your life purpose for right now…

Once you have done that, take a look at your list. Do you notice any themes or patterns? Living a purposeful life is always multi-faceted, why not be a surf instructor and a life coach? Sounds pretty awesome to me.

I often say, if I’m living my life-purpose I feel like I’m thriving, and if I’m not, I feel like I’m dying. I now know my highest excitement is my internal GPS back to my purpose.

2.) Pay Attention to How You Spend your Spare Time

What do you do when no one is watching? And don’t just say Netflix!

Think about how you spend your spare time, and what you gravitate towards when you have extra time on your hands. Is it drawing, writing, making YouTube videos or even watching YouTube videos? Are you a gamer?

Pay attention to these things, as they are all the guide posts and arrows pointing you towards your life purpose. Plenty of people are here to create art, inspiring media or support other people in simple yet humble ways.

The healthy things you are inclined to do are either going to be part of your life-purpose or compliments to it.

3) Consider What You Loved to Do as a Kid

Children are so wise and do all sorts of intelligent, unassuming things. When you were a kid I bet there were a number of fun activities you loved doing. As kid…

How did you play & what kind of toys did you play with?

Who did you like to hang out with?

What field trips were your favorite?

What kind of toys did you like to play with?

What were your favorite things to do?

Revisiting your childhood is one of the best routes to discover your life purpose. Many secrets live in our 5 year old’s curious experience of the World.

4) Ask for Guidance in Your Dream

This is an often overlooked and powerful tool when you are seeking guidance of any kind. But specifically in regard to your life purpose, set a little intention before bedtime.

Something like: “Dear Dream Guides, I ask that you reveal and guide me to my life purpose in my dreams tonight.”

When you wake up, make sure to remember your insights and write them down! This is a very powerful tool.

5) Make a list of What You Want to Do & Get Busy

The most common life purpose challenge I’ve noticed in others I’ve worked with is they distance themselves from their life purpose and often feel it’s very different from what they are already doing.

So let’s simplify. Figure out what you want to do and make a list. Determine want you really want to do from big travel visions to simple tasks and start taking action. Consider the things that you want to do that really help other people, and prioritize it that way

6) Let it Be the Little Things & Don’t Glamorize It

When we think of our life purpose we often think we must become the next Richard Branson, Oprah or Nicki Minaj (okay, maybe not the last one).

Let’s make it simple. This is the meaning of life.

Don’t get hung up on the glitz and glamour of needing to fulfill some outlandish mega-rich role in the World. There are huge unsung heroes creating miracles every day and we need them more than ever. Good things come to people who do good things.

7) Don’t Give Up & Don’t Get

Frustrated with the Discovery Process? Keep going, please! Life is meant to be full of lessons, and lessons mean challenges. If the path is unclear, focus on what is clear right now and do that. That’s all you need to do.

People who achieve their goals in this World are the ones who are willing to take it one step further beyond the wall of frustration, because on the other side of that, is a breakthrough.

8) Listen to your Intuition

You are wise. Move through the World with your gut instincts and really listen to your intuition. Truly, the quickest path to discovering your life purpose, is a single moment of intentional listening. It’s all it takes.

9) Pay Attention to What Your Friends Say About You

Your friends are your reflections and hold very precious information about you. Friends always have a different, and generally refreshing perspective on how they see you, that is in comparison to how we see ourselves.

Ask your friends what they see in you and what they think you should be doing in your life and world. You might be pleasantly surprised at how much you gain from their answers.

10) Know You are Already Living Some form of Your Life Purpose

A wise friend once told me, “My life-purpose was something I do so naturally, I have overlooked it for many years.”

It’s funny how the most obvious and simplest things can be the most evasive for us. I promise you on some level, somehow you are already living your life purpose.

Be aware, be generous and take steps every day towards helping others and do what they love, and a fulfilling and purposeful life will be the gift you are receive in return, unconditionally. It’s simply universal law.